Originally Posted by ElephantSack

I was expecting you guys to tear Ire Works apart. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that most of you have looked past some of the songs' more simplistic approaches, as opposed to the older Under the Running Board and Calculating Infinity techniques of ramming quadratic equations down your throat in record times: as awesome as that may be.

I thought that Ire Works demonstrated more of their personal tastes instead of perhaps pandering to fans who are still waiting for another Calculating Infinity. Not to remove any credit from their older work. Songs like "43% Burnt", "Sunshine the Werewolf", "Panasonic Youth" and "The Running Board" are untouchably heavy in their own respects.

But when I first heard the tracks "Milk Lizard" and "Mouth of Ghosts", it was the first time that I was really surprised by what they were doing. It was unexpected.

Now to address the Irony is a Dead Scene EP. I think it was just a great example of a prolific musician who had the time to do whatever he wanted in the studio with whoever wanted to do it with, finding a band that really impressed him and giving them some well-earned attention. Because not too many people knew about the DEP until that album came out. It basically took them from a band that you didn't want opening for you to a band that you would feel nervous about opening for.

That being said, Gil Sharon is a ****in' maniac. I think I actually prefer his approach to Chris Pennie's.

Originally Posted by Kamikazi Kat

I don't know why everybody seems to think that their earlier albums are more technical, the chaotic songs on Ire Works beat the hell out of their older material for me. Maybe the focus was less on being technical for the sake of being technical, but the songs felt more chaotic then ever before and the parts that were technical were some of the most insane stuff the band ever played.

I do like Gil Sharon's drumming much better though, it feels much more loose and jazzy, less controlled. But I think a good portion of this has to do with the band's shift in songwriting style. I might have to double check this, but I'm pretty sure Chris Pennie wrote the drum parts for most of the songs. I think Gil wrote Horse Hunter, Mouth of Ghosts, and Dead as History, I may be wrong though.